Austria remains tax leader: What does that mean for us?

Austria remains tax leader: What does that mean for us?

Austria is again bad in the international comparison of the tax load. According to current data, the country has the third highest tax and tax rate within the OECD in 2023. The tax wedge for single employees in Austria is 47.2 percent, while the OECD average is 34.8 percent. In the previous year, the tax wedge was still 46.9 percent, which illustrates the current Situation Kleine Zeitung

In the case of married sole earners with two children, the tax wedge in Austria is 32.7 percent. Here, too, the difference to the OECD average of 25.7 percent is significant. In the OECD ranking, this group occupies eleventh place in terms of tax and tax burden, which is better than in the previous year when it took 13th place. In the case of married double earner couples, the tax wedge in Austria is 37.4 percent, which is also above the OECD average of 29.5 percent ORF supplemented.

tax burden in an international context

Austria has a particularly high tax burden in international comparison, which is underlined by the figures from 2023. While the highest tax wedges in countries such as Belgium (52.6 percent), Germany (47.9 percent) and France (47.2 percent) were determined, there are also circles within the OECD in which the tax load is significantly lower. The tax wedge in Japan is 32.6 percent and even 30.1 percent in the United States. In addition, countries such as Korea (24.7 percent) and Switzerland (22.9 percent) recorded the lowest values Statista

General development shows that the control wedge for households with children is lower on average than for single earners without children. This is due to tax advantages and cash benefits that are granted to many OECD countries. In Austria, tax burdens for families are particularly high, which the Neos, a liberal political party, has prompted the demand for a comprehensive tax reform. Among other things, the party suggests a significant reduction in non -wage costs and the abolition of the cold progression before orf reports.

economic framework conditions

The current figures of the OECD also show that the average wages and income after taxes recovered in 2024 after they have dropped in most OECD countries in the years 2022 and 2023. This leads to discussions about the need for a reform of the existing tax structure to increase the competitiveness of Austria and to secure the living standard of the citizens Kleine Zeitung concluded.